Post by devildog on Feb 6, 2013 19:28:35 GMT -5

And so my next question is will 10-point vets stay on the register through a new exam, or start the process over? I have not seen a definitive answer on this board, but may have missed it. I'm guessing everyone must start over with a newly redesigned exam.

Post by workdrone on Feb 6, 2013 19:52:58 GMT -5

I wonder if these same OPM psychologists would show up to session with a patient in blue shoes and toting ray guns to dispel bad thoughts...

Amen to that. OPM marches to the beat of its own drum. So whatever it told to AALJ or anyone else earlier this year is subject to change. The new test will roll out when OPM is ready, and not a moment sooner.

And so my next question is will 10-point vets stay on the register through a new exam, or start the process over? I have not seen a definitive answer on this board, but may have missed it. I'm guessing everyone must start over with a newly redesigned exam.

Post by philliesfan on Feb 6, 2013 20:03:56 GMT -5

I was involved in the OPM process three times because OPM abolished the old register and required all of us to reapply, 10-point vets and everyone else. I think this was because, in each instance, they changed the exam somewhat and the way they scored it. BTW, the third time was the charm.

Post by wannabee on Feb 7, 2013 18:57:58 GMT -5

I just got an e-mail from usastaffingoffice that a new register will be created and when that occurs, the present register will be terminated. This solves the issue previously debated regarding extending or terminating the present register. The e-mail goes on to say that the present register will be used until the new exam has been administered and NORs are available.

Post by care on Feb 7, 2013 19:23:31 GMT -5

For those of you who did not get the email, here is what it said:MID ATLANTIC SVC BRANCH NORFOL OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MGMT 200 GRANBY STREET SUITE 500 NORFOLK VA 23510-1886

Dear , This is in regard to your current status on the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) register, based on your completion of the ALJ examination under announcement numbers 2007, 2008, and/or 2009 ALJ-134575. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has developed a new ALJ examination and will soon post a new ALJ job opportunity announcement with the new ALJ examination. Once OPM completes the administration of the ALJ examination and issues Notices of Results for the entire group that participated in the examination, OPM will establish a new register with qualified applicants who have completed the examination and met the new criteria.(1) The existing ALJ register will be terminated when OPM establishes the new register based on the new examination. Therefore, if you wish to be considered for ALJ positions after the new register is established, you must apply again under the new announcement during the open period and compete for a place on the new register, pursuant to the new examination process.(2) The existing register will remain in effect in the interim, and agencies may continue to use it until it is terminated. As explained above, however, the establishment of a new register will result in the immediate termination of the existing register on which your name is currently listed, meaning you will no longer have a place on the ALJ register after that date unless you have successfully competed under the new announcement. OPM plans to post the new job opportunity announcement in the near future on OPM1920s USAJOBS website located at: www.usajobs.gov. You can conduct a search on the job title 1C20Administrative Law Judge1D20 to locate the OPM job opportunity announcement when it is posted. The announcement will include full details about the application and examination processes. We appreciate your interest in Federal employment as an ALJ. Sincerely, The Administrative Law Judge Program Office __________________________________________ (1) Any appeals will be adjudicated after the new register opens. As appeals are processed and adjudicated, OPM will amend the register, as appropriate. (2) Alternatively, if you are a 10-point preference eligible, you will remain entitled to apply for a closed examination pursuant to 5 CFR 332.311 and may apply to re-open the examination once the new JOA open period closes to receipt of applications. Please note, however, that in accordance with the regulation, the rating of your application will be delayed to the following quarterly period succeeding that in which your application was filed. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL MESSAGE. IT IS AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED. For additional information, please refer to the vacancy announcement for this position.

Post by bartleby on Feb 7, 2013 23:19:02 GMT -5

All, it does not say March or any other date. This is a notice stating what we already know. Specifically there will be a new exam process someday and a new Register thereafter. UNTIL THEN EVERYTHING IS THE SAME.. This is not from SSA and probably will not affect any small Cert that is now being planned or any other Cert SSA decides to pull from the current Register until a new Register is in place, We can still be looking at a brand new Register as far off as next year.. False alarm all, breathe deep and stay thirsty my friends!!

Post by maxlaw on Feb 8, 2013 1:05:16 GMT -5

I have a slightly different take from my learned colleague. As I posted in the other thread, OPM issued a press release with this same information Thursday. It has done so twice before. Once, in 2008, the already existing register reopened about three weeks later. The second time, in 2009, the register reopened about two weeks later. I don't know whether the timetable will be different this time or not, at minimum I'd make sure I was ready.

I do agree that this doesn't affect the upcoming small hire. Remember, the new register won't exist until after a new Notice of Results with a score is issued. Even if the examination launched tomorrow, that would be months away.

Post by privateatty on Feb 8, 2013 6:49:19 GMT -5

I have a slightly different take from my learned colleague. As I posted in the other thread, OPM issued a press release with this same information Thursday. It has done so twice before. Once, in 2008, the already existing register reopened about three weeks later. The second time, in 2009, the register reopened about two weeks later. I don't know whether the timetable will be different this time or not, at minimum I'd make sure I was ready.

I do agree that this doesn't affect the upcoming small hire. Remember, the new register won't exist until after a new Notice of Results with a score is issued. Even if the examination launched tomorrow, that would be months away.

I agree with maxlaw as that is what has happened historically. For those of you not on the Register and hoping to get picked up by SSA in their upcoming small cert hiring, GOOD LUCK!

For those who have yet to apply, get your references in order. Remember, OPM hath no mercy in regards to any typographical error in your application, no matter how minute. Make doubly sure that your references will not say anything about you that might be construed negatively by Puzzle Palace (OCALJ, ODAR)--which, for trial lawyers and the like might be considered virtues.

I have known of more than one who trusted a reference only to discover well after the damage was done that he/she did not want them to be an ALJ.

Post by zebra51 on Feb 8, 2013 10:02:02 GMT -5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, February 07, 2013

OPM Will Post New Administrative Law Judge Examination

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced it will open a new Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Examination to interested applicants in the near future by posting a job opportunity announcement on USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov).

Post by 71stretch on Feb 8, 2013 10:09:39 GMT -5

I have a slightly different take from my learned colleague. As I posted in the other thread, OPM issued a press release with this same information Thursday. It has done so twice before. Once, in 2008, the already existing register reopened about three weeks later. The second time, in 2009, the register reopened about two weeks later. I don't know whether the timetable will be different this time or not, at minimum I'd make sure I was ready.

I do agree that this doesn't affect the upcoming small hire. Remember, the new register won't exist until after a new Notice of Results with a score is issued. Even if the examination launched tomorrow, that would be months away.

I agree with maxlaw as that is what has happened historically. For those of you not on the Register and hoping to get picked up by SSA in their upcoming small cert hiring, GOOD LUCK!

For those who have yet to apply, get your references in order. Remember, OPM hath no mercy in regards to any typographical error in your application, no matter how minute. Make doubly sure that your references will not say anything about you that might be construed negatively by Puzzle Palace (OCALJ, ODAR)--which, for trial lawyers and the like might be considered virtues.

I have known of more than one who trusted a reference only to discover well after the damage was done that he/she did not want them to be an ALJ.

Post by hopefalj on Feb 8, 2013 10:50:58 GMT -5

I'm going to assume that this is going to be a much longer process than in the past given no limits on the number of applications. Any guesses on how many total applicants will submit an application without said limit?

Post by philliesfan on Feb 8, 2013 12:00:52 GMT -5

Back the early 90s, when they established a new register, it was open for the time specified in the announcement and at the end of the process there were about 2,500 names on the register. In 2007, they limited it to first 1,200, opened the process on a Friday and closed it on Tuesday. That was in early May, but the NORs did not come out until late October, if memory serves me correctly.

Post by propmaster on Feb 8, 2013 12:18:13 GMT -5

I'm generally a bit grumpy about this whole process these days, but want to share thoughts on the original post (I haven't been around in a while, but then that e-mail came out and I thought I'd get the lay of the land).

The most recent 5 hires in my ODAR office have included 3 of probably the best candidates I've seen since 2008.

SSA thinks it is 'scraping the barrel' and I believe they believe it (as opposed to saying it to further some ulterior purpose, which is always a possibility) because they think they know more about it than they do.

in 2007 and 2008, they hired at least 2 high-scoring people who I can only describe as sociopaths. I doubt it was their plan to field complaints for thenext half decade. The weird thing is that they don't learn from those experiences what warning signs to look for. They are the opposite of scientists - they decide on a hypothesis, and ... that's it. It becomes a rule.

I know my qualifications to be an ALJ because I work in the ODAR (I did not when I first applied). I draft training materials for adjudicators and writers and when I was in management (I am not now), I still got out many decisions a year. I am deemed unfit for the position for some reason I won't guess.

They can call me the 'bottom of the barrel,' but in my opinion, that insults THEM more than ME. If they can't see what I bring to the table, it's THEIR vision that needs checking.

So examine yourself. If you think you are on the bottom of the barrel, you probably are. If you don't think you are, s**w 'em.

All that being said, I don't disagree with Bartleby. Some of the candidates in any pool are better than others - but I disagree that we have enough information prospectively to determine it. I forget who made the post about the IDF many pages back, but it was very interesting and amusing (and appropos).

P.S. - If you get picked on the rumored upcoming small cert, please remember that I and many other people will, indeed, judge whether your hire was a good or bad idea - try your best to be a good ALJ and make ODAR eat its words.

This is where I will list the avatars I have made that I have particularly enjoyed: Scary Demon with red eyes; Scottish commando with muttonchops and a snake's tongue; Garishly-clad old Scottish guy in the autumn; beach-going conservative-ized red-neck with bleeding clown eyes behind shades, a punk demon mafioso named Spike, an approximation of the real me ...

Post by zebra51 on Feb 8, 2013 12:22:28 GMT -5

If they are still working on the examination update, having a huge number of applications to review will give them a reason to delay moving those found qualified in the initial step to the next step of giving the examination. Kind of makes sense. It will take X number of months to process all the apps to see who meets initial qualification. During those X number of months they can finish the examination update.

Post by deltajudge on Feb 8, 2013 12:41:30 GMT -5

8-)"make doubly sure that you references will not say anything about you that might be construed negatively-----," is what privateatty posted. Kinda gets back to what decade and I said about our application. We didn't have the luxury of picking our references. We simply had to list all the cases we had participated in, in whatever degree, and give the names, addresses, title or position of the other participants. Took me at least 6 months to get my application in order, of course I was under no time constraint.